


these feelings, they keep running the red

by DEMlG0DZ



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: 5+1 Things, Engagement, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, POV Neil Josten, Public Display of Affection, Same-Sex Marriage, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Weddings, in the courthouse, rated m for innuendos and VERY mild sexy content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26572099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DEMlG0DZ/pseuds/DEMlG0DZ
Summary: Neil Josten had never imagined getting married. He’d never been allowed to. He was meant to keep himself disconnected and alone, only in the company of his mother. He couldn’t let himself be distracted by the girl he kissed in eighth grade, sticky with lipgloss, let alone marriage. His mother had told him, endlessly, that love was nothing. It was worthless. Attraction was weakness, love was pain.Neil Josten had never imagined getting married, not until he met Andrew Minyard.or, 5 times Neil thinks about marriage, and 1 time he gets married.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 197





	these feelings, they keep running the red

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted a fic where they got married and they were happy, but not one that was too sappy and too,,, public affectiony. this is what i came up with instead. it's not edited or revised, but it may be sometime in the future. either way, i hope you enjoy! i really like this work <3

  
**1**  
Neil Josten had never imagined getting married. He’d never been allowed to. He was meant to keep himself disconnected and alone, only in the company of his mother. He couldn’t let himself be distracted by the girl he kissed in ninth grade, sticky with lipgloss, let alone _marriage._ His mother had told him, endlessly, that love was nothing. It was worthless. Attraction was weakness, love was pain. Nothing about it was admirable, and Neil had never felt any need to seek it out. Kissing felt like nothing, and he couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been emotionally attached to anyone besides his immediate family. All in all, Neil Josten did not swing.

Meeting Andrew Minyard hadn’t been earth-shattering or surprising. He was a person, and nothing about him was special, in the beginning. He was just another person, someone out to get him. Untrustworthy and dangerous was all Andrew had been, until he slowly began unraveling Neil. Finding out the smallest of secrets, remembering the little admissions, and piecing together the scattered puzzle pieces of Neil Josten. Some things were missing, and they’d never make sense; there were things about Neil that Andrew would never know, things that even Neil couldn’t quite understand.   
Andrew had gone from a threat, to the only person Neil could trust one-hundred percent. He was the only one that could look at the scars on Neil’s body and act like they didn’t change anything. He didn’t need to be babied or taken care of- he was just Neil. Neil, who had earned Andrew’s trust, and pressed kisses to the messy, scarred skin of Andrew’s forearms. Neil, who could sleep with his head on Andrew’s lap, without triggering anything. Neil, who was trusted endlessly, who Andrew knew would listen if he said _no_ , and would trust his _yes._   
Neil Josten had never imagined getting married, not until he met Andrew Minyard.

_

**2**

Neil had been half-asleep when it happened. Him and Andrew had been curled up on the couch in their apartment, Neil’s face tucked into the goalkeeper’s shoulder and one of Andrew’s arms curled around his shoulders, fingers buried in messy auburn hair. It was calm, quiet except for King’s purring. She was sitting atop Neil’s thighs, her harmless little paws kneading the fabric of his sweats. Her eyes were sleepy and content, pleased with the feeling of Neil’s fingers absently scratching behind her ears. Everything was… good. The sun was setting, and pink-orange light filtered through the blinds. The boys rarely had a day to be lazy and comfortable, considering their exy-filled schedules. They took whatever time they had.

Whether it was emptying a container of ice cream or watching exy games on repeat, they relaxed. Not only was adult life exhausting, it was busy and kept them away from each other. They’d yet to get themselves on the same professional team, so they were often away from each other for weeks at a time. It was tiring. They lived together, sure, but one of them was almost always off in a hotel for a game or an event they were meant to attend. Sometimes the nice, elderly neighbor lady would feed the cats when both of them left together. Everything was expensive and difficult. Neil’s only assurance was Andrew’s murmured  _ “It’s not forever” _ when it became especially tiresome. 

Break was something that had not come fast enough. Neil was near breaking down, and Andrew’s patience with his teammates had waned. Their time off was only going to be two weeks, and they only lined up halfway, so they only had one week to spend together. They’d already spent three days lying on the couch, kissing, touching, and slowly unraveling each other. Throughout their seasons, they often didn’t have alone time. They got to kiss and cuddle, sometimes, but they were usually too tired for more. It was never  _ no,  _ but they were often more focused on sleeping than they were on getting off. Now, though, they’d exhausted each other in different ways. Neil had been rather pleased about it, but Andrew had just offered a bored look when he saw his partner’s dopey grin.

“Josten,” Andrew said, a bit of annoyance creeping into his tone.

It took Neil a moment to realize he’d said his name several times. He couldn’t quite manage to get words out of his mouth, until Andrew gave his hair a sharp tug. He grunted, lifting his head so he could look at the blond. “What?” he rasped.

“Let’s get married.”

Neil blinked. He thought for a moment, before straightening up a bit. He adjusted, turning so he was facing Andrew. King made a soft sound of complaint, hopping off of the couch and wandering off to find her sister. “What?” he repeated, helpfully.

“Let’s get married,” Andrew said, slowly, as though talking to a toddler. His face gave nothing away.   
Neil stared at him. He was more surprised than he was confused. He knew Andrew didn’t completely despise the idea of marriage, so he’d always wondered if he’d say something. Never did he think he would just ask Neil to marry him, without any prior discussion. “Okay,” he said, instead of asking where the sudden proposition came from.

Andrew hummed in response, pulling Neil’s head back down on his shoulder. “You end up in the hospital too much. If you weren’t such a dumbass, I wouldn’t have to marry you,” he muttered. 

Neil’s lips tugged upwards, forming a small grin. “You like me,” he said, softly, teasingly.

“I hate you.”

“Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t blow me,” Neil murmured, feeling Andrew’s fingers grip his chin. His expression softened before he felt his… fiance’s lips on his own. The kiss was as gentle as it could be with Andrew on the other end, maintaining all the force of their usual kisses, but illustrating just how much love actually sat between them.  
“I love you,” Neil whispered against Andrew’s lips. 

Andrew grunted, instead of replying. Neil didn’t need to hear the  _ I love you _ that Andrew had never uttered. He was content with what he had.

_

**3**

Allison had managed to find out before they’d even mentioned it. Whether it was because she still used Neil and Andrew’s amazon account, that they’d purchased two cheap but meaningful rings on, or because she had bugged their apartment, she’d been the one to announce it, not them. Neil had been perched on Andrew’s lap, naked from the waist down. Andrew was wiping his fingers on Neil’s shirt, slick from lube and other substances. The striker had been catching his breath when he picked up his phone, leaning his forehead on Andrew’s shoulder. The group chat had been texting incessantly, and Neil had barely stopped Andrew from crushing Neil’s phone for its interruption. He only scrolled up to where they’d begun talking about him.

**_alli_ ** _ : so, neil, are you gonna hyphenate when you two get married or nah _ _  
_ **_nickotine_ ** _ : neil and andrew r never getting married lolz _ _  
_ **_alli_ ** _ : they’re definitely getting married, my dear nicky. I won all the bets because of my endless knowledge, remember? _

**_matt_ ** _ : neil would have told me if he got engaged _

**_matt_** _: right_ _  
_**_alli_** _: apparently not_ _  
_**_Neil_** _: We decided on Minyard-Josten_ _  
_**_nickotine_** _: WHAT_ _  
_ Andrew peered at his phone screen curiously, before nudging Neil’s thigh to get him off of his lap. Reluctantly, Neil crawled off of him and went to find his clothes. He glimpsed Andrew going to the kitchen, and once he was dressed, he trotted after him. Despite it being early evening, the blond was making more coffee. They were silent as they waited for it to finish, comfortable and pleased. Even without Neil having asked, Andrew offered him a cup of black coffee. After Neil took it, he watched his partner work on making his own coffee sickly sweet. He sat his cup on the counter and hopped up, leaving space between his thighs for Andrew, and just as he hoped, his boyfriend tucked himself close to the cabinets between Neil’s legs.   
Neil remained silent, watching Andrew’s contemplative expression. The striker sipped his coffee, his expression carefully blank. He wasn’t sure how Andrew felt about everyone knowing, and he’d confirmed their suspicions anyway.  
“You should ask Allison to take you shopping,” Andrew said suddenly, surprising Neil.

“Why?” he asked, tilting his head to the side just a bit.

“Just because we’re getting married in a courthouse doesn’t mean you can dress like a homeless person,” Andrew said with a snort.

“Okay,” Neil agreed, tipping his head down in a request for a kiss.

Andrew obliged, leaning up to capture his lips. It was hot and forceful, full of passion and need despite their earlier activities. Neil all-too-eagerly pressed into the kiss, but Andrew’s palm rested on his chest as he pulled away. “Text Allison,” he reminded. It was a clear “ _ We’ll do this later” _ , and it caused a soft whine to escape Neil. Andrew shot him an unimpressed look as he stepped away from him.

Neil begrudgingly fished his phone out of his pocket, typing out a quick text to Allison. He looked up at Andrew when he was done. “Is my jersey going to say Minyard-Josten on it?” he inquired. 

Something flashed in Andrew’s eyes, and Neil could tell he was pleased with the idea. “Yes,” he said firmly. 

Neil grinned, his mind already wandering to wonder what it would be like to wear Andrew’s name on his jersey. The whole world would know, despite Kevin’s rants about how much easier it was to be heterosexual in their world. Neil was startled out of his thoughts when Andrew tugged on his hair.  
“Go shower. You smell,” he grumbled. He clearly knew Neil wasn’t going to drink his coffee, considering he picked up the cup and dumped the foul drink down the sink.   
Neil paused. He hadn’t showered after his run that morning, since Andrew had promptly jumped him and kept him going for several hours. He gazed at Andrew and opened his mouth to say he would shower, but he was interrupted.  
“Be thorough,” Andrew said, licking coffee off of the rim of his cup. 

Neil basically scrambled off of the counter, his face flushed. He knew Andrew looked smug from where he stood in the kitchen. 

_

**4**

“I’m not wearing that,” Neil said firmly, looking at the tie Allison was holding up.

“You’re supposed to wear a suit to your wedding, Josten,” Allison chided. “Fine. No tie, but you have to wear a vest instead,” she offered.

Neil wasn’t particularly pleased with that, but he shrugged. She had brought him to a store full of suits, whether they be for weddings or just really fancy jobs. Andrew had informed him his suit would be all black, undershirt and vest included. It was very Andrew, and Neil was sure it’d look good on him. Neil just wasn’t someone to pull off suits very well, and Allison must have been aware of that. She didn’t try to force a blazer upon him, nor did she attempt a tie more than twice.   
“You can just wear a nice button-up with a vest and nice pants. Deal?” Allison asked, carefully setting the tie back down. She smoothed it down, her perfectly manicured fingers elegant as ever.   
“Do I have a choice?” Neil inquired.  
“Of course not, baby,” Allison smiled, pinching his cheek.

Neil rubbed his cheek as he followed her through the store, eventually settling on a basic grey shirt and a vest that was only a few shades darker. The pants were the same darker grey. Allison looked rather pleased with herself, as she paid the cashier.  
“I know they don’t fit perfectly,” she said, holding the suit out to him to carry it. “But I made sure a good tailor had time today, too. We’ll get you re-measured and leave it with her for a while, while we get your hair cut,” she said as she pushed open the door of the shop. 

Neil reflexively reached up to touch his hair. It was wild and unruly, as it was when it got too long. His curls were something to be jealous of, Matt had told him, but he looked stupid with long hair. “Do I really need to be this fancy for the  _ courthouse, _ Alli?” he asked, a bit desperately. 

“Of course. We’re getting pictures while you’re up there getting married, and you’re not allowed to look like…” Allison waved vaguely at him, “That. Plus,Minyard is going to love it. Honeymoon sex is really great, you know?” she said, pulling her keys from her purse as they walked through the parking lot. 

“How would you know?” Neil muttered, awkwardly pulling at his curls.   
“Your boy asked me to take you shopping so you would look good on your wedding day, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Don’t worry, though,” she winked. “I’ll make sure they leave enough for him to pull.”

His face flushed, “ _Allison!_ ” he hissed.   
Allison either didn’t hear him, or she ignored him. She popped the trunk to her car, allowing Neil to lay the suit flat along the bottom. “You’re truly an investment, Neil. Who would have thought I’d be spending so much money on your not-wedding?” she sighed, and he frowned at her.   
“You said Andrew was paying you back,” he challenged.

“Yeah, because you wouldn’t have let me pay,” Allison clicked her tongue. “Get in the car, Josten. This is your wedding present- making you look half-decent.”   
_ _  
_ **5**

Neil woke up to Andrew shifting around the bed, which was rather unusual. Andrew was a still-sleeper, and he rarely ever awoke before Neil. Prying his eyes open, he realized their room was much brighter than it usually was. He was met with Andrew’s curious hazel gaze, before rolling over to look at the clock. It wasn’t often he slept in, but apparently today was one of the days he did. The digital clock read _11:52_ , which Neil supposed made sense. Him and Andrew had been up late doing paperwork that they had put off, getting their marriage license and working on changing their last names. Their procrastination had made getting sleep the night before something of a job, and they’d collapsed into bed at three A.M. Neil had barely broken his habit of waking up so early, but this was the latest he’d likely ever slept.   
“Hey,” he greeted, dry and tired.  
“Hi,” Andrew replied, reaching out and pulling Neil closer to himself. _Yes or no_ had been asked less and less as their relationship progressed, and casually touching each other had become normal.   
Neil pressed closer to him, tucking his thighs against Andrew’s. Their lips met slow and soft, and Neil could feel Andrew’s fingers tangling into his hair and scratching along his scalp. His other hand roamed down Neil’s side and over the curve of his hip, before taking hold of his thigh.  
“Where?” Neil asked, pulling away a bit breathlessly.  
“Anywhere,” Andrew answered, before connecting their lips again.   
Neil groaned against his lips, his right hand curling around Andrew’s wrist by his hair, the other settling in the dip of the blond’s waist. They kissed leisurely and slow, both of them still sleepy messes. They were both comfortable, and Andrew had clearly slept well and without nightmares. His day seemed to be off to a good start, judging by the way he began devouring Neil’s mouth. They rolled, Andrew’s hands pinning Neil’s above his head. The goalkeeper settled between Neil’s thighs, his breath hitching.   
“Yes or no?” Andrew whispered, his lips a hairsbreadth away from Neil’s.  
“ _Yes_ ,” Neil answered desperately, his words shifting into a moan when Andrew’s hips rocked against his own.   
The rhythm was easy and effortless, and both of them were breathing heavily. Neil was about to finish when someone knocked on their apartment door. They both froze, fingers clenched and muscles tight. Neil watched Andrew’s gaze slide to the knives that sat atop the nightstand, before he relaxed minutely. He kissed Neil’s forehead, before climbing off of him and going into the bathroom. Neil sighed, pushing himself to his feet and grabbing a shirt. He trotted out of the bedroom and to the front door, patting down his hair in an attempt to look less well-fucked.  
“Neil!” Matt exclaimed as soon as the door was opened, sufficiently startling Neil. He’d completely forgotten everyone was coming to town for the… wedding. Only Matt, Renee, Wymack, and Allison were actually attending the courthouse wedding, but they’d all be getting together at Andrew and Neil’s apartment.   
“Hey, Matt,” Neil blinked. He stepped out of the way so his friend could enter, forcing himself to wake up more before he actually had to have a conversation. Luckily for him, Matt was too distracted with chasing Sir down to actually stop to have a conversation.   
Neil allowed him to do his thing, wandering into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. A few minutes later, Andrew entered behind him. Neil peered at him curiously, and Andrew gave him what he wanted- a brief, gentle kiss. The goalkeeper seemed more distracted by grabbing the coffee and pouring himself some than he was by Neil’s frown. It wasn’t the first time he’d been left high and dry, and Andrew’s gaze told him that it was completely Matt’s fault. He accepted the cup of coffee held out to him, and looked over at Matt when he came into the kitchen with a ruffled-looking Sir in his arms.   
“Sorry, hi,” Matt said, a bit breathless.

Andrew didn’t respond.

Neil smiled a bit, “Hi. Coffee?” he asked.

Matt shook his head. “I’m just stopping by. Dan said I should drop off the wedding gift before the actual wedding, because Allison helped her pick it out, and she said you wouldn’t want to open it in front of other people,” he said. At Andrew’s imploring gaze, he shrugged. “I have no idea what it is. I got you something else completely. I left it on the coffee table, by the way,” he added. He pressed a kiss to Sir’s head, before setting her down on the floor. “Okay, I have to go now. I told Dan I’d go to breakfast with her,” he said, waving at them, before quickly making his escape.   
“He still doesn’t like being in the same room as me,” Andrew mused, uncaring.  
Neil merely shrugged, carrying his cup out of the kitchen and into their living room. He sat down on the couch, tucking his feet under himself and setting his cup down. He picked up the gift bag on the table, glancing at Andrew. He began pulling out the tissue paper, peering into the bag curiously. His face turned red when he saw the lace, and he shoved the bag towards Andrew. The blond pulled the bag into his lap, his expression open and curious. He pulled the lingerie out of the bag, and snorted.  
“Women,” Andrew said dismissively, tucking the present back into the bag. Neil didn’t miss the way he looked between Neil and the lingerie for just a moment, but he didn’t comment. 

_

**+1**

Neil wouldn’t really call it a wedding. Allison insisted it was romantic and cute, and that they’d be all soft and in love at the altar. At that moment, Neil just felt like putty. Neither of them had wanted to walk down the aisle, so they merely started the whole ordeal with both of them standing at the altar. Wymack, Renee, Allison, and Matt stood off to the side somewhere, watching. It was mostly for legal purposes that they had Wymack and Renee, and then Allison and Matt had begged Neil to let them come. Andrew had just shrugged, so they let it happen.   
Andrew stood across from Neil, all black and stoic. His eyes portrayed a softness nobody but Neil would notice. He looked calm and collected, like he was just trying to get it over with. Neil knew he was just as anxious as he was, even if his hands weren’t shaking as badly as Neil’s were. Even though Matt and Allison were being obnoxious and affectionate and Matt was probably crying, all either of them could focus on was each other and the words that were legally binding them. Before they’d even gone down to the courthouse, they’d discussed everything that would happen. They’d kiss when they were told, but it would be quick. They’d celebrate with a real kiss when they were alone.   
Despite having talked about it at length, about if they were okay with kissing in front of others, anxiety bubbled in Neil’s chest. He stuttered a bit at the _I do_ ’s, but Andrew’s calm gaze kept him grounded. But when they were told they could kiss, his breath hitched and his fingers twitched.  
“Still yes, Josten?” Andrew asked softly.  
“Minyard-Josten,” Neil corrected. “Yes,” he whispered.  
When Andrew pulled him in for a kiss, he sank against him and let his husband hold him up. He felt like he was floating, but at the same time, he felt like he was too heavy to stay upright. Andrew balanced him with hands on his hips and a mouth on his own. It ended way too soon, and they separated, not keen to be _too_ affectionate in front of their friends. Even if they weren’t kissing, anyone could see the love right on their faces. 

Allison had definitely taken pictures, but she’d never show Andrew the cute ones. 

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on instagram as jostyardrivalry or on tumblr as bnha-roses <3


End file.
